Visiting students get a look at Titanic collection at Marine Museum

Monday

May 5, 2014 at 10:00 PM

The museum, located on Fall River’s waterfront, offer a lot of Titanic memorabilia.

Marc Munroe Dion Herald News Staff Reporter

FALL RIVER — The Titanic is a long way down but in our collective memory, the big ship is always sinking, the hull slit open by an iceberg, the band playing “Nearer My God To Thee,” women in furs clambering into lifeboats, would-be immigrants drowning as the water rises down in steerage.

But the story of the big ship isn’t just cinematic. It’s real history and some of that history was passed along Wednesday to a first grade class at Notre Dame Academy in Duluth, Georgia, a class taught by Irene Nowicki.

The class was hooked up with Fall River’s Marine Museum by a friend of Fall River native Wilkie Marvel’s. “Wilkie is one of our tech volunteers,” said Mary Concannon, museum curator.

The museum, located on Fall River’s waterfront, offer a lot of Titanic memorabilia, but has exhibits from almost all eras of seagoing life.

But Wednesday morning, thanks to the magic of Marvel’s iPad and Skype, students at Notre Dame Academy received a virtual tour of the museum, conducted by Concannon.

Over the last few weeks, Concannon sent the students instructional materials.

“We sent them a timeline, a word search, even a coloring piece,” Concannon said.

And that’s just where Concannon started her tour as soon as the Skype connection was made.

“Did you do your homework?” she asked.

“Yes,” the multi-throated voice of Notre Dame Academy roared back.

Concannon said this is the second year the museum has given a virtual tour to a lucky group of students. With Marvel carrying his iPad, focusing its camera on various exhibits, Concannon led a tour encompassing the museum’s collection of Titanic items, weaving in history and information about the ship as she went.

“The building of the Titanic provided work for people in Belfast, Northern Ireland for about four years because it was so big,” Concannon said as Marvel zoomed in on the Museum’s huge model of the doomed ship.

“We would be tiny next to that propeller,” Concannon said, showing the twin propellers at the rear of the model.

Students gasped when they learned that, in today’s money, first class passage on the Titanic cost about $99,000.

Concannon said the museum hopes to expand its virtual tours and educational effort to schools all over the country.